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. 2021 Dec;41(6):489-495.
doi: 10.14639/0392-100X-N1604.

Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on hospitalisation and post-operative rehabilitation of head and neck cancer patients

Erika Crosetti  1 , Martina Tascone  1 , Giulia Arrigoni  1 , Marco Fantini  1 , Giovanni Succo  1   2
Affiliations

Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on hospitalisation and post-operative rehabilitation of head and neck cancer patients

Erika Crosetti et al. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital. 2021 Dec.

Abstract
in English, Italian

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic emergency forced the health system in Italy to implement an immediate reorganisation to support the care of tens of thousands of patients and to maintain the quality of care for patients with other pathologies, such as oncologic diseases. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the hospitalisation and post-operative rehabilitation of head and neck oncologic patients and to determine whether the introduction of new technologies such as video-communication may be useful to mitigate social distancing by close family members.

Methods: Fifty-one consecutive patients underwent surgery for head and neck cancer during the period of lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The data collected (post-operative pain, post-operative complications, duration of hospitalisation) were compared with those of 51 consecutive patients treated for head and neck cancer in the period immediately preceding lockdown.

Results: The average duration of hospitalisation was longer in patients operated on in the COVID-19 period, and, in particular, among patients who underwent a more demanding rehabilitation protocol. Despite this, our study did not show a significant difference in psychological aspects during hospitalisation.

Conclusions: The greatest difficulties that occurred in the COVID-19 period were met by a greater commitment from medical staff, allowing the quality of life of head and neck cancer patients during post-operative rehabilitation to be maintained at a similar level to that before the pandemic. In the future, there will be a need for technological solutions to bring the patient closer to family members.

L’impatto delle restrizioni da COVID-19 sulla degenza e la riabilitazione post-operatoria dei pazienti con carcinoma cervico-cefalico.

Obiettivo: L’emergenza causata dalla pandemia da COVID-19 ha costretto il sistema sanitario italiano ad attuare un’immediata riorganizzazione per supportare la cura di decine di migliaia di pazienti e mantenere la qualità delle cure di pazienti con altre patologie, quali le malattie oncologiche. L’obiettivo principale di questo studio è stato quello di valutare l’impatto delle restrizioni da COVID-19 sulla degenza e sulla riabilitazione post-operatoria di pazienti oncologici testa-collo e determinare se l’introduzione di nuove tecnologie, come la videocomunicazione, possa essere utile per mitigare il distanziamento sociale dai familiari stretti.

Metodi: Durante il periodo di lockdown causato dalla pandemia da COVID-19, 51 pazienti consecutivi sono stati sottoposti a intervento chirurgico per tumori maligni testa-collo. I dati raccolti (dolore post-operatorio, complicanze post-operatorie, durata della degenza) sono stati confrontati con quelli di 51 pazienti consecutivi trattati per tumori maligni testa-collo nel periodo immediatamente precedente il lockdown.

Risultati: La durata media della degenza è stata più lunga nei pazienti operati nel periodo del COVID-19, in particolare nei pazienti sottoposti a un protocollo riabilitativo più impegnativo. Nonostante ciò, il nostro studio non ha dimostrato una differenza significativa negli aspetti psicologici durante il ricovero.

Conclusioni: Le maggiori difficoltà che si sono incontrate nel periodo del COVID-19 sono state superate da un maggiore impegno da parte di tutto il personale sanitario, consentendo di mantenere la qualità di vita dei pazienti a un livello simile a quello precedente la pandemia. In futuro, saranno necessarie soluzioni tecnologiche per avvicinare il paziente ai familiari.

Keywords: COVID-19; head neck cancer; rehabilitation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The Authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Mean duration of post-operative hospitalisation for patients who required swallowing rehabilitation or less demanding rehabilitation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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